I've recently received a letter from both Harvard (email) and Stanford (mail) offering fee waivers and asking me to consider their schools. The letters then went onto describe their student associations for the ethnicity that I identify as. I realize I've received these letters because of my URM identification, but are these typical letters that get sent out/do they mean anything?

I got the one from Stanford last year; I didn't know Harvard sent them. It let's you know just how much these school's desire diversity. In other words, if your stats are such that it's even remotely possible for you to be admitted you should apply.

BruceWayne wrote:I got the one from Stanford last year; I didn't know Harvard sent them. It let's you know just how much these school's desire diversity. In other words, if your stats are such that it's even remotely possible for you to be admitted you should apply.

Thanks! I'll consider them good signs of things to come, take my chances and apply.

I got a bunch of those letters during my original cycle. Some from schools that rejected me, some from schools that WL'd me, some from schools that threw money at me. It's a way to get you to apply, but they're still going to treat your application the same when they get it, and they may not like it. They're just hoping that those letters will mean more minorities apply so they have more to choose from.

I got one of these yesterday. I never expected it and don't think it means much but I sent them an app regardless. They included resumes in there from other URMs. Every other URM in there though had study abroad, research experience etc. I felt like such a loser.

No I think you got what some of us got. From Stanford I got an "invitation to apply" and a letter from the Latino students orgs on campus (and soul-crushing resumes) but no fee waiver. Harvard same thing but through email instead. As far as I could tell Stanford only does need-based fee waivers and the packet had a form to fill out if you wanted to do that.

No I think you got what some of us got. From Stanford I got an "invitation to apply" and a letter from the Latino students orgs on campus (and soul-crushing resumes) but no fee waiver. Harvard same thing but through email instead. As far as I could tell Stanford only does need-based fee waivers and the packet had a form to fill out if you wanted to do that.

THOSE RESUMES WERE RIDIC! Like seriously! Two page resumes. I received them from both the black and Latino student orgs, so I got to see 6 resumes and 6 personal statements. I was always told a resume should only be 1 page. But these people---damn. My GPA 3.3, 160 LSAT, black/Latino male, top 50 undergrad, TFA, 5 years W.E.

FWIW, I havent gotten letters from either school and I got in at Harvard in the first wave. I dont think the letters directly correlate with numbers. Basically, dont get discouraged if you dont get the letters.

So.... I identify as AA & female. 3.5, oct lsat 157 (mistake! so i retook today- all of my practices were 170-175 for 6 straight months). I got the invitation to apply from Harvard and Stanford...Doubt I'll get in but my dad said to apply anyway. Wish Stanford had given me a fee waiver, given their ridiculous app fee and my lack of need. But my resume is 2 pages, prestigious internship last summer, manager at a store summer before, study abroad, 2 foreign languages, etc. Hope they're not just playing with my emotions. Northwestern did, knowing I won't get in without any work experience...

If you read the FAQ for Michigan, apparently they accept roughly half the people they invite to apply with a fee waiver. I don't know how HYS work, but it's interesting to note that these fee waivers aren't entirely meaningless.